My life has had too many “Where were you when” moments. But this month people are asking each other about arguably the most defining moment in U.S. history: Where were you when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center?

This month is not only about remembering the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, but also the days, weeks and months after — when responders from across America traveled to Ground Zero to offer assistance and dig in the rubble for rescues and recoveries. There were endless pictures of funeral processions and parades of draped fire trucks carrying the remains of the 343 lost FDNY firefighters. Eventually, memorial services were held primarily for the families to provide closure to the sleepless nights when no remains were recovered.

Do you remember where you were that day? Of course you do. Every week, every month, every year of the last decade has brought references to 9/11 and how it changed the face of emergency response.

A decade ago, FDNY was more than 9,000 strong one day and devastated the next. Ten years later, the department has reinvented itself and fought back with new leadership, new response techniques, and a new commitment to firefighter health and safety.

Congress enacted legislation authorizing the Assistance to Firefighter Grants Program in January 2001. Initially funded at $100 million, grant dollars increased substantially after 9/11. A decade later, the fire service is in a constant battle to keep those dollars. Has Congress forgotten those who first responded to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or the Pennsylvania plane crash, and those who stand ready today to respond across the United States?

A decade ago, a fire chief was named U.S. fire administrator and then FEMA director for the first time. Thankfully, that trend continues today with experienced emergency-service responders at FEMA’s helm.

A decade ago, the U.S. began the war on terror. Every son or daughter killed in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else in defense of democracy is another 9/11–related loss, and countless parents and spouses have suffered broken hearts.

A decade later, Ground Zero responders still suffer health issues connected to their service. According to the New York Post, FDNY Chief Medical Officer David Prezant has found that firefighters who dug for victims at the WTC are getting cancer at a higher rate than firefighters before 9/11, and some types of cancer are “bizarrely off the charts.” A seven-year, federally funded study found unusually high rates of three blood cancers — leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma — as well as esophageal, prostate and thyroid cancers.

We remember 9/11 because we swore we never would forget. Gracing monuments across the country are steel beams from the World Trade Center, rubble from the Pentagon and chunks of granite from the field in Shanksville, Pa., where United Flight 93 went down; they serve as reminders of one of the nation’s darkest days But there are also countless sculptures and wall plaques dedicated to local fire heroes — we vow to remember them also.

Over the past 10 years, we all have moved on. A generation of fire chiefs has retired and a new generation of firefighters is on duty with iPhones, Google and Facebook. This generation of first responders faces unimaginable CBRN threats, lightweight construction risks and unknown diseases, yet they signed on for such challenges just like firefighters have for decades before.

Ten years later, the American fire and emergency service still honors tradition, remembers its heroes and stands ready to respond quickly.

God bless America’s emergency responders.